By: Jordan Baker

Nearly 900,000 New York City students returned to classrooms on Thursday, and with them came the official launch of a sweeping new statewide policy: a ban on cell phones in schools.

The Daily News first reported that Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the law last spring, making New York one of 35 states with formal restrictions on cell phone use during school hours. The ban prohibits students from using their devices from the opening bell until dismissal, except under limited circumstances such as medical needs or family responsibilities.

“We’re doing this because we want to make sure that you can keep learning in a distraction-free environment,” Hochul told students at Middle School 582, The Magnet School for Multimedia, Technology and Urban Planning in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn. “We’re doing it all over the state, and you’re among the very first.”

The Daily News first reported that while roughly half of New York City public schools already had some kind of phone policy in place, the new law requires all schools to comply. Principals have flexibility in implementation, with approaches ranging from magnetic lock pouches to classroom collection bins.

According to the Department of Education, about 820 schools have purchased Yondr-style pouches that lock students’ phones until dismissal, 600 schools are relying on drop-boxes or storage bins, and roughly 550 are having teachers collect devices at the start of class. The rules extend to smartwatches, Air Pods, and other electronic devices.

Still, the ban has drawn mixed reactions from parents and students. The Daily News first reported that one Brooklyn mother at MS 582 admitted she secretly gave her daughter a second phone to put in the magnetic pouch. “Arrest me,” she joked. “She’s a straight-A student, and I trust her.” Others raised concerns about safety, saying that school shootings and emergencies make it risky to cut off communication.

For some parents, the change was simply inconvenient. Brooklyn Technical High School parent Rena Singh said she waited nearly two hours after dismissal to help her daughter navigate the commute back to Queens because she couldn’t reach her by phone. Yet Singh acknowledged that the policy could help her child adapt socially and academically. “I think she’ll get used to it, and she’ll focus more on her studies,” she told the Daily News first reported.

Students themselves had varied opinions. Brooklyn Tech senior Rachel Zeng said that while the pouches in use at her school can be accessed in an emergency, enforcement has already curbed casual phone use. “I noticed fewer kids reaching for their phones,” she said. Ninth-grader Taylin at HBCU Early College Prep in Queens added, “If the ban wasn’t a thing, I’d just keep it in my bag anyway.”

Mayor Eric Adams defended the rollout, stressing that schools already have emergency procedures and communication systems in place. “We will survive without cell phones in our schools,” Adams said at a press conference in Queens. “It is hurting our children.” Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos echoed that confidence, calling the transition “a shift, but one we’re prepared for.”

The Daily News first reported that the ban enjoys broad political and public support. A Siena College poll earlier this year found 61% of New York voters favor cell phone restrictions in schools. Both state and city teachers unions endorsed the measure.

At Intermediate School 5 in Elmhurst, Queens, teachers said their experience with Yondr pouches since spring 2024 has been overwhelmingly positive.